Always By Your Side
by Purple-Martin111
Summary: The gravity of how dire the struggle was weighed on her. In the thick of battle, when it appeared the Castle would fall with hoards of synths bearing down on her and the heat of laser fire burning through her armor, all she could she think was, what if this is the end? Faced with her own mortality, she wasn't afraid of death, rather she feared what she would leave behind


_"And I believe that darkness reminds us where light can be_  
 _I know that your heart is still beating, beating darling  
I believe that you fell so you would land next to me."_

 _i believe, Christina Perri_

A pelt of grime and blood sloughed off the lone silhouette perched atop the Castle wall as the heavens wept. The valiant vigilante surveyed her victory from above as the torrent of rain washed the battlefield anew. With the smell of petrichor and ozone rising from the earth below, the deluge purged the terra. Yet, despite the drenching rain and fat droplets that soaked through the fabric of her uniform, it didn't cleanse Charlie of the nagging feeling of defeat.

The Institute attacked without warning in the middle of the night, plunging the Castle into momentary chaos. Warning sirens wailed of impending war and within minutes, the once disorganized militia fell in line, assembling into their squadrons with practiced precision. Her now soldiers had fearlessly marched into combat, following their General without question as Charlie raced to join the front lines.

She was the vanguard of her army of citizen soldiers, commanding her troops through the tide of synths. The defenses had held if just barely and Charlie had fought alongside her men and women, gunning down synth after synth. Through the unrelenting waves of enemy forces, the General and her Minutemen had come out on top.

But the stench of death was thick amidst their triumph. Bodies of friend and foe colored the dirt and stone a bloody mess. The excessive loss of life was a heavy burden to bear and she felt it...from both sides.

"Charlotte," like the distant rumble of thunder, Danse's voice startled her out of her rumination, "what are you doing out here? It's raining and...you're soaked."

Her eyes raked the battlefield, blood and remains turning to mud as they seeped into the soil. And yet, the corners of her mouth quirked, "Aren't you the observant one. Thank you, Captain Obvious."

It seemed the death toll hadn't hampered her endless sarcasm. A scoff at her back, Danse did not appreciate her humor.

It was inappropriate. "Blood was spilled," with heaviness threatening to sink her into the mud, Charlie offered up a more sensible explanation, "and lives were lost today. I can't help feeling responsible."

The sodden grass squished as Danse came to stand beside her, "Not all of that life is your burden to bear."

Charlie pushed the matted and dripping threads of hair from her face and peered up at him with rising irritation. Of course, she knew what he was referring to - the coursers. She had ordered them to be buried among the dead. It wasn't necessarily that she felt the need to bury her enemy or that she had an issue with pulling the trigger on them, it was the principle of the matter.

The coursers hadn't chosen their fate. Rather they had been made and given life, complete with thoughts, feelings, and emotions and then slowly stripped of their humanity. Built for a specific purpose, they were forced into submission and ordered to do the Institute's dirty bidding. They were never given the opportunity to say no or the possibility of another life.

Perhaps burying them was the only act of kindness, of humanity, that they had ever been shown. Charlie hoped that in death she could at least give them back a piece of their humanity, however insignificant an act it may have been.

"I mourn the loss of my soldiers and I don't sympathize with the Institute, but even the enemy deserves a proper burial."

Danse said nothing in response but the growing frown upon his brow was evidence enough that he did not approve.

"I'm not a savage." She defended her decision with a shake of her head, "All life is precious. It doesn't matter where it came from. Their deaths are not trivial, and they deserve to be put in the ground."

The disapproval on Danse's face only deepened, "The coursers, they-"

"What if it had been you?" Charlie snapped before she could catch herself, immediately regretting the words as they left her lips.

Ever the embodiment of composure, Danse stood a statue as the chilling rain beat down on him. His silence, however, revealed more than words ever could. Charlie's barbed intrusion had hurt him, a painful reminder that perhaps he too deserved to be counted among the dead.

For the life of her, Charlie couldn't fathom what in the world had gotten into her.

"That was insensitive." She massaged her forehead between her fingers and offered a hand above his elbow as a show of her sympathy, "I'm sorry."

Still words escaped him as Danse continued to stare out into the mists swirling up from beyond the Castle walls.

"Danse," she squeezed his arm in hopes of redirecting his focus back to her, all the while feeling incredibly guilty and wishing the earth would swallow her for her unkind remark. "I didn't mean it. Really, I'm sorry. Please don't be upset."

"I just…" finally he looked to her, "I didn't come up here to argue. I was worried about you."

"I know. This is difficult for me," she gestured to the courtyard below. "It's really getting to me. These people. They gave their lives, sacrificed themselves...many of them have families. It feels so...unnecessary."

Danse's expression softened, but his tone remained firm, "That's war. People die. Innocent lives are lost. It's the price we've always paid for freedom."

"Doesn't make it any less painful," Charlie conceded, shivering as a gust of wind stole the heat from her rain soaked body.

"Those men and women, they were soldiers. They knew what they were signing up for, understood the risks." He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to soothe her distress and she hoped he didn't feel her shaking. "Don't allow their deaths be in vain. Mount a counterattack, take the fight to the Institute."

"I know, you're right." Her meager smile at Danse's attempt at heartfelt comfort was thwarted by the chattering of her teeth.

"You're cold," her quaking hadn't gone unnoticed. "If you stay out here much longer you're going to get sick. Come on," Danse pressed his hand between her shoulders, "let's get you inside."

Charlie wanted to protest - _just a few more minutes_ \- but she allowed herself to be ushered along the earthen ramparts and down the stairs to the courtyard. Despite the rain and ongoing cleanup effort, signs of battle still remained. As they traversed the inner sanctum, her eyes strayed to the ruddy ground, and she had to remind herself that it would all be worth it in the end.

Sooty clouds billowed overhead and lightning crackled in the sky with a roll of thunder upon the horizon as the pair stepped within the fortifications. The rain held no qualms for the Commonwealth. With no signs of breaking, it appeared the inclement weather would revenge its inhabitants well into the evening hours.

Once inside, the stone corridors did little to warm Charlie's plummeting body temperature. With the rain had come a chill that saturated the air and permeated even the Castle's thick walls. Funny how she hadn't noticed amidst the downpour, but now the cold was all her mind could process.

Ponding water trailed in the wake of their sopped and dripping bodies as Danse tailed Charlie down the hushed and vacant hall to her quarters. The night had brought an unusual stillness to the Castle. As somber clouds had claimed the sky with the approach of night and impending rain, Charlie had asked for volunteers for guard duty and given the rest of her soldiers leave to grieve the loss of family and friends.

Another bout of shivers rocked her as Charlie neared her room.

"You need to change out of those clothes and into something dry as soon as possible." Danse did nothing to conceal his concern as they stilled in front of her door.

"That's the plan," Charlie involuntarily gravitated towards him, seeking his warmth, her fingers intentionally brushing against his hand. "Come see me in a bit?"

Even in the short time he had been outside, Danse had gotten just as soaked as she had. Though, his sodden state didn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching or his fingers from tangling with hers.

"Alright," he agreed with a nod of his head and made to leave for his own room but stopped. "You'll be okay?"

With mumbled reassurance and a lingering glance from Danse, they went their separate ways. Charlie's room was no less dark or chilling than the dampened hallways. Except now, she was cold and alone with only the twitching of nervous energy to keep her company. Her wet clothes were shed and a dry pair of jeans and a t-shirt were tugged on as her mind wandered.

She sat on the edge of her bed, toweling off her hair, pondering the events from early in the day. The gravity of how dire the struggle was weighed on her. In the thick of battle, when it appeared the Castle would fall with hoards of synths bearing down on her and the heat of laser fire burning through her armor, all she could she think was, _what if this is the end?_

Faced with her own mortality, she wasn't afraid of death or failure, rather she feared what she would leave behind. Her chest tightened at the thought of never seeing Danse again and because she knew her death would ruin him. She loved him and more than anything, she regretted not telling him how she felt.

 _He's not ready,_ she kept telling herself, _he's still grieving the loss of himself_. Danse needed time to heal and find his own way back to himself. There would be time later, so she held back. But in that moment, her thoughts were consumed with kind brown eyes, dark hair, and that goofy grin, and she wished she had told him all the things in her heart.

Lost in her reflections, Charlie jumped at the knock on the door. Still shaking, she pulled at the blanket on her bed, "Come in."

Danse appeared in her doorway clad in dry fatigue pants and a jacket pulled over his shirt. "You wanted to see me?" He pushed the door closed behind him and stood there staring, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," the blanket was pulled up around her shoulders and she smiled at his endearing uncertainty of personal affairs, "I just feel like I haven't seen you all day." She watched him fidget a moment before patting the vacant sheets next to her, "I've missed you."

Unlike previous encounters, Danse didn't hesitate as he crossed the space between them and settled beside her. She could feel his warmth and couldn't resist the urge to burrow into him, but before she could scoot closer, he caught her shoulders in his hands to give her a once over.

"Charlotte, you're shivering. Don't you have any warmer clothing?"

She made to argue, "I'm fine-"

"Here," but Danse was shrugging out of his jacket before she could even finish.

"Danse," she placed a hand on his chest, "you worry too much. I'll be alright."

Unconvinced, he watched her a moment before taking matters into his own hands. He nudged her hand away, "Come here," and slid his arm beneath the blanket and around her shoulders before adjusting the woolen fabric to cover them both. "I know it bothers you."

The cold was all but forgotten as heat suddenly rushed through her. Danse was so incredibly warm; his body like her own personal heater. All manner of appropriateness forgotten as she leaned closer to him and boldly slipped her hands beneath his shirt to press her frigid hands against his skin.

"Charlie!" His free hand seized her wrist, "your hands are freezing!"

"Sorry, you're just so warm. I couldn't help myself," she muttered against his shoulder as her cheeks burned.

Danse shifted and batted her hands away only for them to be trapped between their bodies as he slid his other arm around her to hold her properly. Charlie couldn't breathe at the nearness and the words almost slipped out as she rested her head against his chest. Instead, she sighed at the feeling of his heart stuttering beneath her palm. It didn't matter what anyone said or thought, this man, her Danse, would always be human to her.

They remained like that until the pounding of her own heart slowed and she trusted herself to inch away enough to see his expression. The way he looked at her mirrored how she felt, with fondness upon his face and devotion in his eyes and when he smiled at her, she knew after today, there was no going back. Charlie didn't want to spend a single moment away from him. She wanted a lifetime by his side and again the words were on her lips. She had to tell him.

But when she opened her mouth, "thank you," the words she wanted to say failed her.

"I wasn't about to let the closest thing to a friend I have out here succumb to hypothermia." Except she could tell by the shift in his expression that those weren't the words that Danse wanted to say either.

Her eyes roamed his face and with her heart leaping in her throat, Charlie freed her hand to run her fingers over the fresh gash above his eye. "I was afraid today."

Danse closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, nuzzling against the gentle pressure with a heavy sigh, "me too." The quiet admission mumbled against her fingertips as her hand fell away to rest upon his shoulder.

When he opened his eyes again, Charlie could see that there was more behind those beautiful brown eyes. Emotions hidden away, Danse was so much more than the proud, stern soldier he let everyone believe he was. She knew better. He cared deeply for those around him and the belief in bettering mankind was entrenched within his being.

"We've spent a lot of time at each other's side and I've learned…" Danse swallowed as he gathered his thoughts and she knew this was difficult for him, but it was important, so she squeezed his shoulder to encourage him. "I trust you with my life, Charlotte. That trust isn't something I just hand out lightly, especially given the nature of my true identity." He paused a moment before trudging on, "Anyway, I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me."

He tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear as he leaned closer, their foreheads and the tips of their noses just barely touching, before whispering, "If something happened to you, I honestly don't know what I'd do."

"Danse…" her heart beat wildly in her chest but she wasn't about to let her unsteady breathing keep her from the truth. "I don't even want to think about life without you. I don't care where you came from. It doesn't matter to me. I love you."

"I-uh…" his eyes widened with a slight shake of his head, his brows coming together as he spoke in breathless tones, "You...you love me?"

"Of course I do." Charlie hoped he could feel her grinning as her fingers curled around his neck, scratching at the tickly hairs at his nape.

"You don't know what it means to hear you say that." His breath a whisper across her lips as his hands caressed her face and slid into her hair.

This wasn't the first time his lips had been on hers, but now, as they brushed against each other, it held a whole new meaning. She closed her eyes at the soft contact, the gentle kiss tenderly stroking her lips and igniting the cinders from deep within. His lips descended on hers and she was lost to the feeling of breathlessness and never wanting to breathe again. The fire consumed her, burning her from the inside out as Danse sighed her name and looped his arm around her waist. Her hands tangled in his hair as she felt the mattress at her back and she whimpered at the weight of his body over hers.

 _"Danse,"_ she breathed his name between sharp gasps for air, her willpower melting away with every shared breath.

Her hands once again slipped beneath his shirt, her fingers exploring every peak and valley, making up for lost time. Danse pulled the garment over his head, giving her access to every inch of his toned and naked flesh. She couldn't help herself as her hands greedily felt the rewards of loving a man who spent most of his time occupying a massive metal suit armor.

Danse broke away, his lips hovering just above hers and somehow Charlie managed to catch her breath long enough to look up into adoring eyes.

"I love you too," her skin tingled at hearing the words, but as he kissed along her jaw and shifted to hold her closer, tighter, there was something else as he looked down upon her again, "Please, don't ever leave me Charlie. I'd be lost without you."

She could see it in his eyes and the way he looked at her. He loved her beyond all measure of words, but he feared he would never be good enough for her. That someday she would come to her senses and leave him.

"I promise." It would never happen. Charlie vowed to tell him every day how much he meant to her. That she loved him and to make sure he knew how important he was, that a life without him was no life worth living. "I'll never leave you. I'll always be by your side."

He kissed her again, softer, slower this time. Over and over he told her how much he loved her with each kiss he trailed across her cheeks and down her neck. As their breathing steadied, Danse pulled her against him and settled her in his arms.

"Stay with me tonight?" she snuggled closer to him and she already knew the answer, she just wanted to hear him say it.

"I'm not going anywhere," Danse assured as he reached for the blanket and pulled it up over them.

Charlie didn't know what the future held, but she knew as long as Danse was by her side she would be alright.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** This is a gift for Magpie_XIII (Charlotte "Charlie" McKay belongs to her). She has been a wonderful friend to me and gifted me with some beautiful fanart so I wanted to return the favor.

Special thanks to MaxRev for beta reading.


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